Decontamination of Pesticide Residues for Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable Agriculture satisfies human food and fiber needs, makes the most efficient use of on-farm resources and integrates natural biological cycles, enhances the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole, and sustains the economic viability of farm operations. A farm that is able to produce continuously, yet has negative effects on environmental quality elsewhere, does not support sustainable agriculture. Over-application of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers or animal manure, which can improve productivity of a farm but can pollute nearby rivers and coastal waters does not contribute to sustainable agriculture. The lack of pesticide field dissipation data and the increasing concern about agricultural chemicals and their impact on surface and ground water quality have made this an international issue. Pesticide adsorption to soil is related more to soil organic matter than to other soil chemical and physical properties, therefore, addition of recycled waste as soil amendments having high organic matter content is a management practice that should be exploited to trap pesticides in situ in agricultural fields that would have been transported into rivers and streams contaminating natural water resources. The use of recycled waste for land farming could decrease dependence on synthetic fertilizers and provide alternatives to farmers dealing with the escalating production costs associated with increasing costs of energy. Soil management practices that bind pesticides and excess nutrients to soil particles, reducing pesticides, nitrate, nitrate, and phosphate in runoff and seepage water are vital to sustainable crop production systems and environmental quality. Soil organic matter has an important effect on the bioavailability, persistence, biodegradability, leaching, and volatility of chemicals in soil that could intercept pesticide-contaminated runoff from agricultural fields and provide a potential solution to pesticide contamination of surface and seepage water from farmlands. Mitigation and removal of excess pesticide residues before they runoff and enter bodies of water is the main focus of the research plan at Kentucky State University (KSU)/Environmental Science at the College of Agriculture. Studies at KSU research farm indicated that bio filters installed down the field slope reduced runoff water volume by 44% and herbicides (trifluralin and clomazone) residues in runoff water by 55% and 38%, respectively. These findings revealed that bio filters offer a viable means of treating pesticides in runoff water arising from agricultural fields.